Jersey's government 2023 travel expenses reveals trips from Abu Dhabi to New Zealand

Trips include training courses in Munich and Barcelona, ministerial business in Singapore and Dubai, and costs incurred in 'recruitment and relocation of employees' in Cape Town and Faro. Credit: ITV Channel

The Government of Jersey has finally published its long-awaited travel expenses for 2023 - which reportedly included flying an invasive species expert over from Honolulu in Hawaii.

The costs for 2023 totalled more than £350,000, with trips including:

  • Attendance at conferences in Amsterdam, Grand Cayman, Montreal, Brussels, Riga, Dubai, Barcelona, Bern and Auckland.

  • Attending Continuing Professional Development (CDP) training courses in Munich, Barcelona, Valencia, Copenhagen, Dublin, Pisa and Gibraltar, as well as various UK locations.

  • Ministerial business to Singapore, Netherlands, Washington, Paris and Dubai.

  • Costs incurred from the 'recruitment and relocation of employees' in Cape Town, Riyadh, Faro, Durban and Johannesburg.

  • ITV News understands the Government also paid to fly an invasive species expert over from Hawaii for an unspecified reason.

The details, which have only just been published, cover the period when Deputy Kristina Moore was still Chief Minister.

However, critics question the value of such trips, especially during concerns over the climate and the cost of living crisis.

Deputy Max Andrews, of St Helier North, tells ITV News: "In the world of remote working, you'd expect there would be more online meetings.

"We can talk to people without the need for travel. We're just incurring costs that we can't afford to."

However, Deputy Andrews understands why training for frontline workers may need to be delivered in person and believes such expenditure is justified, depending on the circumstances.

Former Senator Ted Vibert is most concerned by reports of politicians, other than the External Relations Minister, representing Jersey on foreign trips.

He expalins: "What they say about these meetings is that it enables them to get a global view of everything, but you can do that watching television.

"You really don't need to go anywhere to do that - it's ridiculous."

The newly published costs are separate from more than £35,000 of taxpayers' money spent in 2023 on off-island events organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The costs then included paying for States Members to attend conferences in Kenya, Ghana and Canada.

Two deputies were later criticised for travelling to the remote island of Saint Helena on CPA business.

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